The sacred scarab beetle is a dung beetle native to the coastal dunes and marshes around the Mediterranean Sea, meaning it is found in North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The head of the scarab beetle has 6 oblong projections and its front legs have an additional 4 each, giving the appearance of an arc of rays on the beetle’s front end. The sacred scarab beetle is 10 to 25mm in size and has a shiny, black carapace.
Latin Name
Scarabeus sacer
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Animal Facts
Scarab beetles can roll balls of dung that are 50 times their weight.
Sacred scarab beetles use the projections on their head and front legs to shape dung into spheres.
The sacred scarab beetle was seen as a representation of the Sun God Ra by Ancient Egyptians, who likened the rolling of dung balls to the sun rolling across the sky.
Sacred scarab beetles roll dung by pushing it with their back legs.
The larvae of scarab beetles play an important ecosystem role in recycling the nutrients from detritus and dung.
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